Peak Retreats Offers Savings To France

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French ski specialist, Peak Retreats, who operate holidays to little-known charming French villages, has a number of early booking discounts available.

Early bookers are being offered savings of either 5, 10 or 20 percent on many apartments so long as they are booked before Oct. 31, 2009.

Regular holiday prices for a self-drive, self-catering holiday in quality accommodation start from less than £100 per person per week including a Eurotunnel crossing with free FlexiPlus upgrade.

The company's 2009-10 programme features nearly 40 unspoilt traditional resorts which are not just cheaper and more pleasant to stay in than more famous ‘commercialised' resorts, but also have queue-free, high-speed lift links to major ski areas.

For example, four people sharing a two-bedroom apartment on a seven-night holiday starting Jan. 9, 2010 in the residence Les Fermes de Samoens in the pretty village of Samoens, pay £135 per person. Alternatively, it costs £124 per person when staying at Les Balcons de la Vanoise, in the village of Termignon, now linked to the Val Cenis ski area. In Saint-Jean d'Arves, now part of the giant 310 kilometre Le Sybelles ski area, prices start at just £97 per person.

"Skiers staying in self-catering accommodation in the small, satellite resorts we feature can save more than 50 percent compared to prices in big-name resorts. Groceries, bar drinks and restaurant meals are also cheaper, as are lift passes, ski school and equipment hire. And driving by car not only works out cheaper than flying - it's more flexible, too," Peak Retreats' Xavier Schouller told OnTheSnow.